Much of the work will be financed with a $500,000 state grant awarded early this year to restore the three-story Federalist-Greek Revival building. The grant, which is tied to a creative idea to help prepare local people for high-tech jobs, seemed like a tremendous coup in tight economic times. But the idea of saving the school building, which also served as a private residence for many years, has generated another creative idea and a financial boost from a local business. Bailey contacted me recently to tell me United Southern Bank in Todd County has donated $10,000 to the preservation fund.

“We are very proud of our local bank for stepping up, and we are also proud that they feel such a tie to the project,” Bailey said. The $10,000 donation will be matched with more donations being sought by preservation trustees, he said.  Bailey is a young Todd County native who is just starting out as an architect, so you might wonder how he can state without hesitation that his group will raise $100,000.

I believe that’s the most interesting aspect of this project. Bailey and others, including John Walton, a former Elkton mayor; keep setting the bar so high that you wonder how they do it.

Securing a $500,000 grant just a year after they bought the building for $15,000 was impressive enough. Now they are plowing through another fundraiser; using the bank’s donation as an inspiration for a campaign they call “Charity Starts at Home.” The bank’s donation could cover the restoration of one large room in the academy building, such as the dining room or the future computer room, said Bailey.

While this is under way, Bailey is also confident the Kentucky Heritage Council will grant landmark status to the Green River Academy this year, which will clear the way for the council’s approval of tax credits for the preservation group. The tax credits, in the range of $100,000 annually, are available for non-profit groups to sell to for-profit businesses. Bailey said a local business, for example, might be willing to buy 80 cents on the dollar for a tax credit it could apply to its own tax obligations. I asked Bailey if a more ambitious possibility existed – say a business, in the spirit of supporting a local cause, paying the preservation group for the full value of the tax credit. He said he liked that idea better and laughed. But you have to wonder if he pulls it off.

Stay tuned.

Bailey said the Green River trustees expect to receive design documents by late summer. If contracts are awarded late this year, work could begin in spring 2013. In the meantime, at least four fundraising events are planned this year, including a harvest dinner called June Jamboree on June 23. To learn more about the events, go to www.greenriveracademy.com.

JENNIFER P. BROWN is the Kentucky New Era’s opinion editor. Her column about people and places in the Southern Pennyrile runs on Mondays.

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Read the article here: “Preservation of History 1 Man’s Passion” – by Jennifer Brown

The moment paint begins to peel, Bailey says, someone will be on a ladder with a bucket and a brush.

The Green River Academy Preservation Society is accepting Statements of Qualifications for structural engineering, space planning, inspection, and construction supervision services to be performed for the Green River Academy Restoration Project. The project will be funded through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

In order to be considered, statements of qualifications must be received by 2:00PM local time (CST) on November 16, 2011. They should be sealed and labeled Green River Academy Restoration Project.  The Green River Academy Preservation Society reserves the right to reject any or all statements of qualifications.

The statements of qualifications will be evaluated and ranked on the basis of the following considerations:

1. Experience and technical expertise of the respondent with regard to the type of services to be provided and projects of a similar scope.
2. Past record of performance with the locality and other clients, including quality of work and timeliness.
3. Capacity of the respondent to work within time limitations, taking into consideration the current and planned workload of the firm.
4. Proximity and accessibility of the respondent to the County.
5. Familiarity with the project requirements and locality.
6. The Respondents clear outline of addressing design disciplines.

Statement of Qualifications should include the following information:

1. Outline the experience and qualifications of the Respondent and provide the resumes of the individual(s) to be assigned to the project. The resumes shall detail each individual’s title, education, current position with the Respondent, employment history and experience, highlighting projects of similar scope and complexity. Provide a statement on the Respondent’s ability to comply with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation.
2. Describe the past record of performance with the locality and other clients. Highlight three (3) projects of similar scope and complexity. Include the name and number of a contact person for each referenced project.
3. Outline the firm’s capacity for performance. Describe the time frame for services to be provided and staffing considerations such as availability, workload, etc.
4. State the base of operations for the firm and briefly analyze accessibility to the locality.
5. Describe the degree of familiarity with the locality.
6. Provide a statement of how the Respondent intends to address all major design disciplines (civil, space planning, structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical).

The qualification statements will be scored based upon the following criteria:

EVALUATION/AWARD CRITERIA

1. Experience and qualifications 35 points
2. Past Performance 30 points
3. Capacity for performance 20 points
4. Accessibility 15 points
5. Familiarity with locality and project 25 points
6. Capacity to address design disciplines 25 points

Total Points Possible 150

Questions concerning this Request for Statements of Qualifications should be addressed to Amy Frogue at the Pennyrile Area Development District, phone (270) 886-9484. Additional information is available online at http://greenriveracademy.com

Statements of Qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of written materials, therefore it is not necessary that a representative of the firm attend the evaluation meeting. After the close of evaluations, the Society will contact the highest-ranking firm and enter negotiations. If the Society is unable to negotiate a satisfactory agreement, the second ranked firm will be contacted.

The Green River Academy Preservation Society will adhere to the provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Section 3 in the implementation of this project.

No person shall be excluded from participation in, denied benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in the implementation of this program on the grounds of race, color, national origin, or sex.

Attention is particularly called to the requirements as to conditions of employment to be observed under the contract, Section 3, Segregated Facilities, Section 109, Title VI, E.O. 11246, the Anti-Kickback Act and Section 504 requirements.

All Statements of Qualifications should be addressed to:  Green River Academy Preservation Society, c/o Matthew Colin Bailey, President, 300 Hammond Drive, Hopkinsville, KY  42240.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Green River Academy is currently undergoing extensive restoration with help from a grant of $500,000 from the Community Development Block Grant program awarded to the Preservation Society in 2011 by Governor of Kentucky, Steven Beshear. The project is expected to be completed in 2012 and will include an adaptive-use program for the 1835 girl’s school, which includes museum space, archival space, a public computer technology lab and a training center for community members wishing to acquire advanced computer program skills.

In spring of 2012, restoration of the Academy’s Main Building, which will house the museum project, will begin. Completion of the project is expected to occur in winter of 2012.  The goal of the Academy’s collection is to collect, professionally curate and preserve important objects of the southern United States and to properly exhibit such items for the benefit of public research, to increase cultural awareness and to promote heritage tourism.

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If you have an item you would like to donate to the Academy, begin the application process here: Gift of Deed Application

This year’s attendees will be treated to heavy hors d’oeuvres crafted by Michelle Johns and her Elkton boutique restaurant, “The 2Kates” and Hopkinsville catering group, “The Four Seasons.” Guests will also enjoy Kentucky themed cocktails and wines sponsored by Lover’s Leap Winery, Jim Beam & MB Roland Distillery, among others.  Rachel Moore is the Ball’s 2011 guest photographer. Rachel’s photographs have graced publications and the album covers of Nashville’s rising music artists. The event will take place at the historic Jefferson Davis Park in Fairview, Kentucky located on the county line of Christian and Todd Counties.

Honored guests include Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Bill Cunningham, Senator Joey Pendleton, Representatives Martha Jane King, Myron Dossett and John Tilley. The event will feature dancing to the “Cumberland Winds” Dixieland jazz band with an additional band, soon to be posted. The event will be held on the grounds of the historic Jefferson Davis Park in a fully air-conditioned covered pavilion.

The Blue Moon Ball, along with other Green River Academy Preservation Society events throughout the year, raise significant monies for the preservation of the once prominent 19^th century girl’s school located in Elkton, Kentucky. The Green River Academy was once an educational institution for the daughters of southern planters and was later converted into a coeducational institution after the American Civil War, with alumni attending Harvard, Yale and Columbia Universities, producing notable alumni including authors, business leaders and notably, a United States Supreme Court Justice.

Today, the Academy is being restored with the help of a Community Development Block Grant awarded in the amount of $500,000 by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Plans for the building call for a new museum devoted to southern culture and a training facility for area community members who desire to expand their educations in order to compete in the local career market for jobs in new “green,” or environmentally conscious advanced technologies that have recently taken root in the western Kentucky region.

For more information on the guest list for this private event, please phone 270-847-1488 or visit the Blue Moon Ball website at www.bluemoonball.com.

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The event honors our history, our heritage, and those who formed our past. Visitors will enjoy a twilight tour of the cemetery grounds and will hear tales from some of the fascinating individuals who shaped the history of our community, followed by a boutique supper with the opportunity to share your own thoughts and stories of our past.

There will be two walking tours this year, one beginning at 5:00 PM and the other at 6:30 PM. Tickets are $16 each and may be purchased at Elkton City Hall, 71 Public Square, in Elkton. The number of tickets will be limited to only 30 persons per session and tickets sell very quickly each year. Contact Laura Brock at Elkton City Hall at 270-265-9877 for ticket information.

This year’s fascinating individuals who will be featured on the tour include Dr. V.T. Rose, a veterinarian in Elkton for 35 years; Mr. Ewing Traughber, who built many roads and bridges in Todd County and owned the Jefferson Davis Hotel in Elkton; Ms. Mamie Shanklin, a clerk at Elkton City Hall; Ms. Pearlie Edwards, a long time employee of the Senior Citizens Center; and Ms. Cora Kenner, an active volunteer in the community.

Several local businesses have graciously donated to help make this event possible, including Cook-Webb Funeral Home, Latham Funeral Home, Something Special and Todd County Funeral Home.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Green River Academy Preservation Society, a non-profit 501c3 group that was formed to preserve the Green River Academy located on Goebel Avenue in Elkton, Kentucky.

View images from last year’s Supper in the Cemetery here.

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The grant application includes plans for a training program that could help Todd countians secure jobs at the Hemlock plant, said Bailey. Restoration of the academy building will allow the preservation group to set up space for a job training, literacy and computer skills program at the old school building. The public library in Elkton has only two public access computers and time on those is limited to 15 minutes, he noted.

Bailey said the preservation group will use all of the $500,000 grant for renovation work that will save the building from crumbling. The training program adds value to the grant because it ensures a use for the building, said Bailey. Green River Academy will become more than a museum.

Bailey, who has a bachelor’s degree in architecture and a master’s in historic preservation, both from the University of Kentucky, works in the Kentucky Division of Historic Properties. Elkton is his hometown.He said he hopes restoration work will begin in six months to a year. It will take about a year to complete, he estimated.

Green River Academy was constructed as a boarding school. Wealthy Southern families bought stock in the school and sent their daughters to the school. The academy closed after the Civil War and then became a public school. In 1890, it closed again as a school and became a private residence. Around the middle of the 20th century, it was being used as storage and then became vacant.

Reach Jennifer P. Brown at 270-887-3236 or jpbrown@kentuckynewera.com.